Getting Lost on My Way: Self-Discovery on Ireland’s Backroads

For fans of McCarthy’s Bar, a debut memoir about a woman’s humorous and poignant solo adventures of self-discovery on Ireland’s backroads following a painful divorce.

When an introverted, divorced, middle-aged mother and school librarian from the Midwest decides to leave her comfort zone and travel alone to Ireland, her desire to fulfill her dream overcomes her fear as she immerses herself into what will become an adventure of courage and self-discovery.

Motivated by her love of Irish music and Celtic spirituality, along with her desire to find healing from depression and divorce, Diane sets off for Ireland, a country she’s been obsessed with for years. Her romantic preconceptions of the Emerald Isle quickly clash with reality, however, and while there she faces many obstacles, including driving the narrow, ill-marked roads throughout the countryside she traverses. Nevertheless, this first sojourn leads to three more trips over the next six years, and she gradually learns to navigate Ireland’s back roads--not to mention her own personal and spiritual roads toward self-discovery and acceptance.

This heartfelt and humorous account of Diane’s adventures--including hanging out with an Irish rock band, traveling remote roads in search of a hermit nun, and meeting her favorite Irish musician not once but twice--is sure to inspire readers to get outside their own comfort zones and take some rewarding risks of their own.

Diane Hartman is a retired school librarian, photographer, dog rescuer, mother, grandmother, and lover of Ireland. She has received honors for her writing from Midwest Writers Workshop, Daisy Pettles Women’s Writing Award, and the Griffith Writing Fellowship at the Mary Anderson Center. Her photography has garnered several awards, including the Indiana Governor’s Award. She is an alumnus of Laura Munson’s Haven Writing Workshops and Retreats, and this is her first book. Diane lives in Indianapolis with her rescued corgi, Winston.